The annual On Snow Expo was moved to Killington. In addition to providing us an opportunity to test all of next year’s skis, the reps added trade shows each evening to give us written information about the new skis and other new products.

Things such as goggles, poles, helmets and other accessories were always available at these shows, but the rush to get on as many skis as possible has prevented spending much time with them. The trade show helped rectify that and it was well worth it.

Two of the most interesting products came from Uvex, long known for their goggles and sunglasses. Carl Helmetag, President of Uvex Xports, Inc. was having a great time showing off a new goggle technology that changes lens color electronically by pushing a button. There are those days when we need sun protection on one run and a clear lens would work better on the next.

The lens uses liquid crystal technology and, considering the difficulty of most interchangeable lenses, they could be popular. Look for them at something over $200.

As a grandfather, the new Uvex helmet caught my attention. With helmets are becoming standard equipment for kids, parents have been looking for a way to keep the little skiers in the right size helmet at a reasonable cost. To be effective a helmet has to be the exact size. It’s not something a kid can grow into. The Uvex individual adjustment system accommodates extra small through medium in the same helmet, which means one helmet can last until the child can wear an adult size.

We also saw new tuning equipment for both the shop and home. If your skis haven’t been tuned since the beginning of the season, it’s time to either have it done or investigate the simple new tools for doing it yourself.

As informative as the trade show was, the excitement was generated by the new skis. But with as many as 300 models distributed among 15-20 brands, it was impossible to get on more than 10 percent, so I concentrated on skis I like – giant slalom and all mountain models.

Little has changed. The trend to shorter and shorter skis seems to have leveled off. GS and all mountain skis are mostly within five centimeters up or down from 175. Slalom skis are now 155-165 and few skis can be found over 180. There are a variety of specialty models with twin tips for terrain parks and half pipes and wider skis for softer snow.

While shapes of race skis have settled in, construction techniques continue to evolve. This is also spilling over to other models which is providing skis for all-around use.

The best run we had at Killington for trying skis was longer than we usually use, but it did offer changing terrain with flats and steeps to let us really wring out each ski. I started on GS skis, because that’s what I ski on and I wanted to compare the familiar feel. The differences from last year are subtle. There are full bore racers, but most skis, while offering race ski performance and holding power, are easy into the turn and very forgiving.

My skis are Volkl P60 GC Racing in a 178. The new construction has enlarged the sweet spot a little, but the feel is very similar. I found this in GS skis from Blizzard, Head, Salomon, Rossignol (No change in the 9X Pro), Dynamic, K2, Atomic, Volant and Elan. The same could be said for several slalom models. It’s amazing how fast one can ski these shorties and feel comfortable.

I found another interesting ski three weeks ago at Mount Abram when Atomic rep Bruce McDonald wanted me to check out the skis he was skiing. The Metron 10 has a wide profile and 78 mm waist. I had seen him laying the skis over and carving turns down the fall line and was surprised to see he wasn’t on a race ski. We met at the top and swapped skis. This wide body ski handled like a race model when carving, but had added flotation for softer snow.

It would have been impossible to try all the skis at Killington, but the lesson is that with today’s construction, you can find an all-mountain ski that holds like a race ski. But there is even better news for the ladies.

A few years ago women’s skis were produced by adding a flowery top skin to a cheap ski. Now ski companies are moving full speed ahead in developing boots and skis specifically for females.

Lighter and softer are obvious changes, but women are also demanding high performance models that are more than shorter versions of men’s skis. Companies are making other adjustments such as lifting the heel to help move the weight forward and bindings are mounted forward.

Boots are also being designed to accommodate lower calf muscles. Rossignol, which is running ladies’ clinics with an eye toward gathering information for product development, has a new boot with a down filled liner. Salomon calls their new ladies line “Fast and Free.”

We don’t have space to go into all the details of the various models, but when the new skis show up in the shops there will be plenty for ladies.

Dave Irons is a freelance writer who lives in Westbrook.

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